Re: halogen lamp on x10

[andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Andrew Gabriel)]

In article <1115877888.409139.142370@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
	bcboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>><b...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>>> I do have an IR temp gun.
>
>> May I ask what for?  The only other folks I know who own one are the ones
>> that burn up CPU chips on video to prove how hot they get (over 900F IIRC).
>
> Baking bread?

I bought mine when I was designing the central heating system
for the house. I used it to check the estimated U-values (heat
loss) through the various walls/floors/ceilings/doors/windows
were reasonable. Also useful for finding unexpected heat loss.
As an example, although the ceilings below the attic were
insulated, the access hatch wasn't, and was losing some heat
when it was freezing outside -- ceiling was 22C, hatch was 12C).
You can also go round the outside of the house when it's cold
outdoors and look for hotspots. It's not easy to quickly measure
the temperature of brick walls, plaster, and many other building
materials any other way.

Having installed the central heating, I used it to balance
the radiators (adjusting for correct temperature drop across
each) and to ensure the boiler was operating in high efficiency
condensing mode.

It can be fun to play with too. Pointing it at the sky at
night, I've had readings of -50C. There needs to be a tiny
amount of cloud to get a reading from -- no cloud and it
can't get a reading (it doesn't work down to the -270C of
interstellar space), and too much cloud keeps the daytime
heat in so you only get something like -5C at cloud base.

I bought my father one too, rather more as a toy than with
any particular purpose in mind. He uses his a lot when cooking.
One of the first things he tried was checking the temperature
of a casserole he was reheating from the previous day, and
found it was only 55C when he had thought it would be nearly
boiling.

--
Andrew Gabriel